Choosing furniture

When it comes to choosing furniture, whether you buy your furniture new, second hand or antique, it is always a good idea to buy the best quality you can afford.

This is a simple matter of economics, because good quality furniture will look better for longer, it is an asset that can be carried with you from home to home, and ultimately it can be passed on or sold to be enjoyed by others.

Of course this doesn't necessarily rule out sources of what some might call cheap furniture but it does raise a problem: how can you judge whether furniture is good quality or not, without having to learn everything about furniture making and furniture history?

We are producing a series of short articles to help as a quick furniture guide. If you have any general questions about choosing furniture, or would like to see a short article on a particular furniture-related topic, please get in touch through our Contact us page.

Please select any of the articles below by clicking on the heading:

White furniture
French style? New England? Rococo? Painted furniture is enjoying a huge surge in popularity at the moment and this page tries to make sense of all the different terms being used.

Lounge furniture
Whether you call it the lounge, living room or sitting room, it uses an astonishing number of diffierent furniture items.  Find out what - and what the proper name is for a lounge...

Furniture
Rather an obvious title for a page on a furniture website, but we offer some thoughts on how to simplify the search process.

Solid Oak Furniture
A brief history of oak furniture and a guide to oak furniture currently available.

Solid Pine Furniture
A brief history of pine furniture and a guide to pine furniture currently available.

Finding Art Deco furniture
A brief history of Art Deco and a guide to Art Deco-style furniture currently available.

Retro-style furniture
Whether its 30s Art Deco, 50s American Diner or 60s swinging Britain, we offer some pointers for sympathetic styles of furnitutre that won't break the bank.

Finding chairs

Finding Rustic furniture

Distressed furniture
A page covering distressed furniture, one of the latest fashions.

Furniture history and styles
A guide to the different historical periods and styles of British furniture.

Furniture terminology
Alphabetical index of commonly used terms in the furniture world from Dovetail joint through to Wood stains.

Flat pack or self assembly furniture
When and why was it invented? What are its advantages or disadvantages?

Furniture Brands and ranges
Understanding why the same furniture may have different names in different shops.

New, second hand or antique
A guide to furnishing a home with a mixture of new, second hand and antique furniture.

G Plan Furniture
The G Plan brand was created in the 1950s by E Gomme Ltd.  Although the company no longer exists, find ranges that remain true to the 'Gomme Plan for Living.'

Top 10 things your furniture says about you
A not-too-serious guide to what people can tell about you from your choice of furniture!

We hope some of the pages listed above may be of help in choosing furniture.  Whilst taste is a matter for the individual, we're happy to offer advice on our furniture ranges, so call us on 01656 768358.